12 killed in Missouri skydiving plane crash after takeoff
What's next: Federal investigators are examining why the turboprop went down minutes after leaving Butler Memorial Airport.
A pilot and 11 passengers on a skydiving trip were killed Sunday when a single-engine turboprop crashed in a field shortly after takeoff near Butler, Missouri, authorities said. The aircraft, operated by Skydive Kansas City, left Butler Memorial Airport at about 11:30 a.m. before turning left and going down in flames, according to local officials. Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said some victims' relatives saw the crash. Emergency crews extinguished the fire, and officials were still identifying several victims and notifying next of kin later Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration was at the scene, and the National Transportation Safety Board was sending a team to investigate the cause.